MLB suspends Jose Bautista for fight with Rougned Odor, postgame comments

Tom Gatto

MLB suspends Jose Bautista for fight with Rougned Odor, postgame comments image

Blue Jays outfielder Jose Bautista was suspended one game for his role in Sunday's Jays-Rangers brawl and his postgame comments, Major League Baseball announced Tuesday. Bautista is appealing the ban.

Bautista was one of four players who received suspensions. Rangers second baseman Rougned Odor, who punched Bautista in the jaw to set off the fracas, received an eight-game ban. Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus was given a game for his actions during the fight, and Blue Jays reliever Jesse Chavez was suspended three games for intentionally hitting Texas' Prince Fielder an inning after the brawl.

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Blue Jays manager John Gibbons was suspended three games for returning to the field for the brawl after being ejected earlier in the game. He also was fined an undisclosed amount. Jays first base coach Tim Leiper was suspended for a game.

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In addition, nine uniformed personnel were fined, including Blue Jays third baseman Josh Donaldson and Rangers pitcher Matt Bush, who helped put the brawl into motion by hitting Bautista with a pitch, likely in response to Bautista's bat flip during last year's ALDS. Bautista responded by sliding hard into Odor on a double play attempt.

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Bautista told reporters after the game the Rangers were "cowardly" for hitting him in their final opportunity to pitch to him this season. He also said the umpiring crew mishandled the situation.

Odor is appealing his suspension. Andrus will not appeal. Chavez has yet to decide whether he will appeal.

Tom Gatto

Tom Gatto Photo

Tom Gatto joined The Sporting News as a senior editor in 2000 after 12 years at The Herald-News in Passaic, N.J., where he served in a variety of roles including sports editor, and a brief spell at APBNews.com in New York, where he worked as a syndication editor. He is a 1986 graduate of the University of South Carolina.